Greenpeace Southeast Asia has exposed alarming evidence of systemic labor exploitation in Taiwan’s distant waters fishing industry, revealing ten cases of alleged forced labor involving 12 Taiwanese fishing vessels between 2019 and 2024. During a press conference in Taipei on Thursday, the organization called on the Taiwanese government to take immediate action and accelerate legislative processes to address labor abuses.
The comprehensive investigation report titled “Netting Profits, Risking Lives: The Unresolved Human and Environmental Exploitation at Sea” highlights severe labor violations across multiple vessels. According to testimonies, all 12 investigated ships were implicated in practices such as document withholding and worker deception. Approximately 92% of the vessels were found to abuse vulnerable workers' situations, trapping them in debt bondage cycles.
Specific cases include a worker on the Shui Sheng Tsai No.6 vessel who described working in harsh conditions with expired food and another from the An Wen Fa vessel who became permanently blind due to an accident and received only NT$50,000 (US$1,500) compensation. The report also alleges that three vessels potentially violated Taiwan's distant water fishing regulations by engaging in shark finning practices.
Local labor advocates and Greenpeace Southeast Asia are urging the government to implement concrete reforms, including publicly announcing a timeline to comply with the Work in Fishing Convention conditions defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO), ensuring foreign fishermen are protected under labor laws, and mandating transparency in fish procurement. They emphasize that most domestic seafood originates from distant water fishing vessels, making systemic change crucial for protecting workers’ rights and supporting an ethical supply chain.